After the End
by FandomNutter
Summary: The war is over, they won, and peace prevails. As Naruto donns the red and white robes, he thinks back to the one whose legacy he continued: Jiraiya. *AKA my version of Naruto's Coronation*


**Hi guys!  
This is just a little oneshot of what I think Naruto's Coronation might've been like (along with a healthy dose of wishful thinking—but then again, isn't that synonymous with "fanfiction"?).**

**I got the inspiration from _Two Steps From Hell_'s piece _Compass _(it's on YouTube). The music fits with the fic really well (IMO) so if you're into that sort of thing, go for it.**

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Naruto stood in front of the Hokage's desk, the Hokage's hat and robes before him. He lifted the hat off the desk, feeling the smooth silk under his hands. As he looked at the hat, memories upon memories of the Sandaime looking after him for all those years, of Tsunade-baachan smiling at his antics, of his father, the one time he met him, and of Jiraiya and his belief that Naruto would realise his dream.

_Well Ero-Sennin, _he thought as he rubbed his thumb reverently over the red kanji for fire,_ I did it, just like you said I would._

He looked out of the window to the Hokage Monument, focusing on his father's face. _Mum, Dad, I know you're already proud of me, so I'll make you even prouder! You should see it, dad, Ero-Sennin's dream, it became a reality. The Elemental Nations are finally at peace. It took a long time, and I lost many friends, but it was worth it. There's no more conflict, no more hate, no more pain now, just peace._

Naruto turned his gaze skyward, a small smile gracing his lips as he remembered his time as Jiraiya's apprentice. The times when he acted annoyed or angry when on the inside, he was bursting with happiness, how Jiraiya had vehemently objected to his nickname when secretly he liked it, how Jiraiya was one of the few who did not refute his ambition, but believed he could and would achieve his goal. _How's the view from up there, Ero-Sennin? Do you see it, the Elemental Nations are working together now; everything's changed, even the Chūnin Exams. The question in your book, whether or not peace exists? The answer is _yes_ and the evidence to prove it is right here. There's no Konoha hitai-ate anymore; all Shinobi wear the same symbol: Shinobi._

_You said you believed that I'd become Hokage,_ he continued as he donned the red and white robes, _I've done it. I'm the Rokudaime now._

Naruto turned around to see Kakashi, already wearing his advisor's robes. "Hey Sensei,"

"I'm not your sensei anymore, _Rokudaime-sama_." Kakashi said glibly, and despite the mask, Naruto knew the man was beaming. Naruto blushed brightly, his own grin forming at the man's words. "You ready?" Kakashi asked.

"Are you kidding?" Naruto exclaimed, positively bouncing over to the silver-haired Jōnin. "I've been ready for this my whole _life_!" He laughed as he followed his new advisor out of the office and into the hallway. As the two made their way to the balcony, Naruto found himself reminiscing over all the hardships that he and his friends had gone through. All of the pain, all of the suffering he had experienced over the years washed away to be replaced by the pride that follows hard-earned achievement. _This is it,_ he thought, pausing for the barest of instances before stepping out into the sun. An enormous cheer rose up from the crowd, as those of Konoha welcomed their newest Hokage into office. Naruto could see Sakura, Chouji, Shikamaru, Ino, Sai, Shino, Kiba and Akamaru, Hinata, Lee, Tenten, Gai, Kurenai, Shizune and so many others. But what surprised him the most was the Shinobi that he recognised from other villages that had come to see him take the Hat. It seemed a lifetime ago now, that he had been the lonely child who dreamt of being acknowledged, whose only wish was that people would be nice to him. Now . . . now those so-called 'childish dreams' had become a reality.

"When I was a child," he began his speech, "I looked up to Sandaime-jiji with every fibre of my being. He was the only one to look at me and see the lonely boy that I was, instead of the village annoyance. He was the only semblance of family I had, and, like any child looking up to his father, I wanted to be just like him. My reasons back then were that, compared to me people looked at Jiji with respect. They greeted him with smiles and kindness—something I _craved_ as a young boy, yet rarely recieved. I wanted people to react to my presence in the same way, and to me, the only way for that to happen was if I became Hokage myself.

"Jiji told me all about what it meant to be Hokage, and I admit, I didn't get most of it, but one thing I understood was the fact that the Hokage protects _everyone_. I thought that if I told people that I would be Hokage they would start to respect me for wanting to protect them all but instead, I was ridiculed, called a liar, downtrodden, rejected, and told that it would never happen." He smiled, "But it's different now. Now, I no longer have to pull pranks for people to look me in the eye; I don't have to shout at the top of my lungs to be heard. And it's all thanks to my friends and teachers, and everybody who ever believed in me. It was _they_ who showed me that actions speak louder than words, and it's thanks to them that I'm here today.

"I can't say that I'm the strongest Shinobi in the village—hell, I can't even create a simple _Bunshin_, but I _can_ say that I will do my very best to make sure that the future generations will not have to experience War as we have. I will do everything in my power, to make sure that this peace continues for generations to come!"

The crowd once again erupted in cheers, all of them vowing to help their new Rokudaime in preserving the peace that they had worked so hard to achieve.

As he watched the crowd—_his village_—Naruto felt a presence appear next to him and turned, expecting Kakashi or Tsunade, but froze as a misty form appeared before him. The incorporeal man turned his head, spiky white ponytail swaying with the movement, arms crossed over a red sleeveless haori. It was Jiraiya.

". . . Ero-Sennin . . ." Naruto breathed, unable to do much else.

"_I knew you could do it, Gaki._" Jiraiya's voice echoed in his head as he smiled proudly at the blond, as a father would his son. "_My legacy is now complete; now it's time for you to create your own._"

"Aa," Naruto nodded, furiously blinking at the tears that dared to come forward. "you can count on it."

"_You've become a legend, Naruto, worthy of The Great Toad Sage Jiraiya!_" he said, his smile becoming a goofy grin, before softening once more. "_And I couldn't be any more proud._"

With that last statement, Jiraiya's image faded, leaving Naruto with such a feeling of warmth that he felt he would burst.

"Thank you, Jiraiya."


End file.
